Showing posts with label theology of sex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theology of sex. Show all posts

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Masturbation & Christian Women


Christianity and Sexuality

Various Christian sources include articles on masturbation. And I was struck by a comment from a clergyman who opined, Christians need a “theology of masturbation.”

“Christians need a theology of masturbation.” Really?


Is a theology of masturbation possible? I had examined the opinions of various scholars and Christian speakers when writing, A House Divided. Christians are divided over the morality of masturbation but the disagreements did not appear as emotionally charged as those about same-sex marriage.

In this post I look at data and opinions concerning women. In Part 2, I look at information about men.

Masturbation and Research Findings

I like data so here’s a link to some stats from a US Survey conducted by Indiana University (Huffington, 2014). 

Bottom line: 20 to 25% of young to middle age women masturbate monthly or weekly. And much more than half masturbated in the past year--so about half the women in church--if the women in your church are like other American women.

In their textbook on Human Sexuality, Hyde and Delamater (2017), report 80% of the undergraduate women in their sexuality classes masturbate--as they admit, that rate may be a bit high considering possible differences among college women who attend classes about sex and those who don't.

Hyde and Delamater (2017) also summarize the statistics for married adults -- 44% to 52% of women ages 18-49 reported masturbating in the past 90 days.

A 2021 multinational survey of older European women found that between 27% and 40% masturbated in the past month (Fisher et al., 2021).


Findings from a large US 2021 sample (Herbenick et al., 2023) provided percentages for women's masturbation. Most masturbated in the past year--only 37.4% never masturbated. The rated were from a low percentage of daily at 1.9% to a high of 16.9% reporting a few times per month. 

A small percentage of those who did not masturbate endorsed "It's against my religion" as a reason (8%). Those that did masturbate endorsed several reasons. The most frequent were as follows (percentages):

I find it pleasurable   63.6
If I’m feeling horny    49
To relieve stress       36.2
If I want to relax        25.8
To help me fall asleep  25.7

Find more in the Herbenick et al. (2023) reference.





Who needs a theology of masturbation?

Since I’m not a theologian and often find myself wondering what could possibly be new about a faith that’s 2,000 years old, I wondered why the clergyman would ask such a question about masturbation.

I actually found a small handout by the National Association of Evangelicals called the Theology of Sex. It’s a free download but there’s no theology of masturbation there.

Then I remembered a scene from Fiddler on the Roof—the one where the tailor, Motel, asks the Rabbi to bless his new sewing machine. I think a theology of masturbation must be something like a blessing. Some way of saying, if something is not clearly in the Bible can we at least get an “official” blessing for it.

It seems, a lot of Christians want to know if certain types of sexuality are "ok" with God. So, join me in looking at what people say.

What the Bible says about female masturbation

Teresa J. Hornsby (See my book review: Sex Texts from the Bible) identifies passages in Song of Songs (5: 2-6) and Ezekiel 16:17; 23:7) that may refer to female masturbation. By the way, there is no prohibition against masturbation in the Bible although some used to think that was true.

Hornsby is not alone. Religion scholar, Jennifer Knust also notes the graphic examples of sexuality in Song of Solomon.

Example: Song of Solomon 5. 2-5 (NLT from biblegateway)


2  I slept, but my heart was awake,
when I heard my lover knocking and calling:
“Open to me, my treasure, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”


3  But I responded,
“I have taken off my robe.
Should I get dressed again?
I have washed my feet.
Should I get them soiled?”


4  My lover tried to unlatch the door,
and my heart thrilled within me.

 

5  I jumped up to open the door for my love,
and my hands dripped with perfume.
My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh
as I pulled back the bolt.

 

What do Christian leaders say about female masturbation?

They say a lot of things about sex. And some have opinions about masturbation.

Popular Christian author, Rachel Held Evans  (1981 - 2019) began her article on masturbation with a reader’s question: “…could you look at masturbation from a theological perspective?” (3 June, 2013)

Evans contacted Christians with "expertise" (I am not sure how she defined expertise.).

Here’s my abbreviated take on what they wrote. Do see her post before critiquing what these people wrote because my summary may be inadequate in terms of details you might consider important.

Abigail Rine of George Fox University, did not see a biblical problem and opined, “I think masturbation can absolutely be a healthy part of both married and unmarried sexuality.” Rine’s first point deals with the expectation of a long sexual abstinence for teens, which she calls unrealistic. She also noted the contribution of masturbation to achieving orgasm often not possible for women via vaginal intercourse. In contrast, Anna Broadway reasons that biblical sex is relational, which rules out masturbation.

Richard Beck, Psychology Professor at Abilene Christian University, began his response with a focus on the widespread problem of pornography. So porn provided the context. After also noting the years of delay until young singles marry, he opines “masturbation may be a critical part in how single persons cultivate and achieve sexual chastity.” But he again turns back to the problem of lust (Matthew 5: 27-28) and suggests the importance of a shift away from thinking about masturbation to a “theology of lust.” By asking a question about the meaning of lust, he directs readers to think about the nonerotic features of lust (e.g., greediness, passiveness). If this nonsexualized meaning of lust is true, then he raises the notion that “masturbation might be a great tool to combat lust.”


Dianne Anderson begins with an affirmation of masturbation as part of healthy sexuality and soon raises the specter of pornography. She opines that masturbation may be sinful for some and not others.

Matthew Lee Anderson invites readers to consider a Christian ethical stance in view of the cross and resurrection of Jesus as a pattern for love of others rather than self-pleasure. For Matthew Anderson, masturbation falls short of Christian love.

Jenell Williams Paris, professor of anthropology at Messiah College (Grantham, PA) believes there is a problem in the way Christians ask about the morality of masturbation. She suggests a different question, which gets us back to the theology issue: “Given that most people masturbate, how can we see even this area of life in the light of faith?” Paris wanders through positive and negative aspects of human sexuality. Her biblical context is the call to find rest from being weary and burdened (Matthew 11: 28-30). She gently invites readers to move from judgment and shame toward an unburdened faith. And she skirts (sorry for the pun) the issue –leaving the decision about masturbation to the reader.

Tara Owens suggests Christians have lived by a false dichotomy when it comes to sex—In my words she’s talking about “marry or burn” theology. She argues for a broad view of sexuality in the context of relationships. Then she gets to the question of masturbation and healthy sexuality: “The answer will be different for different people in different contexts…”

***
Here are some other Christian views.

Eve Tushnet (February 2016), writing for Christianity Today, asked: “What Could Possibly Be Wrong with Christian Masturbation?” She provides a review of common ethical concerns focusing on harm-- she finds no negative impact. She contextualizes masturbation by framing Christianity as an erotic faith with images of a divine bridegroom and a human bride. Notice her moral argument based on harm.

Ed Mazza (11 April, 2016) of The Huffington Post reported a warning from Christian writer, Mack Major: “too many Christian women are losing their salvation because they masturbate.” He reportedly warned about sex toys-- items used in “demonic sex rituals.”

I figured Focus on the Family would have something. I was not disappointed. There’s guidance from Geremy Keeton but the focus is on “kids.” At first you will see a common interest among conservative Christians to provide a context for sex—married persons. And kind advice to avoid shame. There’s also helpful advice to introduce the topic before puberty.

Keeton offers a list of things that can “pose danger.” It is the common list of items such as compulsivity or an “addictive habit” and pornography. There’s a suggestion about getting involved in alternate activities. They even offer an 800 number to call for more help.

So what about Catholics? Boorstein (8 June 2009) reported an eye-catching title in The Washington Post, “Catholic theologians are divided into camps on masturbation, marriage and other church teachings.” According to the article, masturbation is banned by the church but a feminist theologian believes the practice is neither good nor bad. The reason for the ban is that masturbation does not meet the criteria for good sex. Good sex (in an ethical sense of good) is between a married man and a woman focused on procreation.


Martha Rosenthal (25 Jan 2012) reminds readers that the sinfulness associated with masturbation can be traced back to St. Thomas Aquinas. According to her reading, Aquinas believed masturbation was worse than rape and adultery because the biblical aim of sex is procreation. She also reminds readers of the multiple harms previously thought to occur because of masturbation-- things like depression and blindness.

Joy Wilson made news (NPR) a few years ago when she started a Christian sex toy business (Book22.com; named for the Bible’s sexy love poem, Song of Solomon). A variety of sex products (e.g., vibrators, lubricants) are available at Evangelical store websites, which promote the use of love toys within marriage and advertise as being free from pornography. The Evangelical stores provide a Christian context via biblical references about sex.

Reflections on a Theology of Masturbation

1. Masturbation is a sex act therefore, consider reading about masturbation in the context of sexuality and Christianity. In  A House Divided  I provide a framework for sexuality, which is not limited to masturbation. I suggest discussing the different views presented by conservative and progressive Christians. I have found even conservative church groups appreciate the balanced discussion in A House Divided. Yes of course, I want to sell my book and I am glad to say conservative churches and colleges use it in courses. This link takes you to book reviews by Christian psychologists and others.

2. Begin with moral principles when thinking about practical theology. Unfortunately, the principles referred to by different Christian writers can be used to support or condemn masturbation as we have see above. A great deal of Christian morality deals with factors improving or destroying relationships--that's the love your neighbour ethic. Masturbation could be a solo act unless it is mutual masturbation with a lover. For Christians, the moral issue seems to be the acceptability of masturbation by single women.

So, those who believe that the biblical principle is that sex is only for procreation don't have a lot of options unless masturbation is not classified as sex. That probably won't fly.

For those who believe the Christian sex principle is that sex is a gift from God and that includes pleasure, then there may be more flexibility unless masturbation is classified as a sex act banned before marriage or there is a pornography issue.

For Christians who do not accept the evangelical teaching that the Bible is literally God's Word, have more flexibility in discerning what teachings written by inspired men might become guiding principles relevant to the topic of masturbation.


3. I think when it comes to masturbation and other topics Christians need a rubric to examine morality. That’s why I use the six-factor approach (harm, fairness, loyalty, authority, liberty, purity) based on the work of Jonathan Haidt and his colleagues (see e.g., The Righteous Mind). Most of my comments on masturbation can be found in chapter 7 of A House Divided

You will see a lot of writers focusing on just one or two issues like harm or claiming a violation of biblical sex. Christians take the Bible seriously but must still think about applying moral teachings to their current situation.

4. Beck's idea about a "theology of lust" (see above) and his challenge to understand lust seems like a helpful contribution. Lust is not just about sexual activity.

5. You don’t find a lot about sexual addiction in the opinions about female masturbation compared to that term in opinions about male masturbation. But there is some evidence that at least some women feel distress about masturbation. In my experience as a psychologist, it is difficult to think oneself out of emotional distress so it’s probably best to see a psychotherapist.

6. A theology of sex does need to address pornography. But what's art to some is porn to others. Modesty is in the eye of the beholder. See other posts about porn in the links below. I suggest that linking masturbation to porn is a shoddy way to scare off sensitive Christian women without being honest about what is pornography. I also agree with those concerned about pornography and exploitation including trafficking.

One important part of a boundary definition of porn is that presentations involving sexual exploitation is pornography. And related to this boundary is the moral principle that children and other vulnerable persons cannot give consent to sex, therefore presentations of sex that include children and other vulnerable people are pornographic. I use the word presentations because porn is not just about pictures and videos--it can obviously include written and spoken presentations.

Modest Swimwear

8. Every church, Christian school, and Christian College, University, and Seminary needs a sex education program. There's too much ignorance about healthy and safe sexuality. Those in higher education need to offer a course. Sex education needs to be a life-long process because new technologies and medical interventions create new opportunities to enjoy sex and deal with sex-related health and mental health concerns.

Christian sex education needs a multidisciplinary focus. For a textbook on sexuality, I recommend Understanding Human Sexuality by Hyde and Delamater.

Christian sex education includes Theology, Biology, Psychology, Sociology that is, a theobiopsychosocial approach. Masturbation is just one topic to include in the context.

Take a look at the limited thinking in extant online comments about masturbation and other topics by widely followed Christian writers. They are likely sincere people and great communicators but the lack of substance suggests the need for Christian education about sexuality.

9. I don’t see many writers offering opinions about masturbation and sexual minorities. I wonder if those who identify as a minority and feel their faith requires a single life would find masturbation to be a viable alternative for sex when their convictions imply that same-sex marriage is not a viable option. In the context of this post, think about lesbian women, bisexual women, and transwomen.

10. Several write about guilt. Guilt and masturbation have a long history. And health care folks have worked to normalize masturbation and strip the practice of guilt. I wonder if the guilt, and sometimes shame, along with the history of negative religious views about nonmarital sex, are consistent with evolution. If so, the guilt-shame-religious connection may be tied to biopsychosocial dimensions of human sexuality.


11. To expand on thought number nine, none of the Christian authors focus much on biology or deal with the biological theories addressing sexuality (e.g., Modern Synthesis).  In my limited understanding of biology, the traditional stance of the church concerning sex is aligned with what needs to happen for a species to survive until they can reproduce and raise their young. In conservative Christian settings, young heterosexuals come together in a supportive family-like culture, mate for life, and are encouraged to raise their offspring as a team. That conservative stance seems to provide a culturally supportive environment for the best way for the species to survive.

12. When it comes to masturbation, like other sex linked moral issues, Christians are A House Divided. Peace of mind comes with a focus on loving God and others. Peace of mind requires respect. Understanding the issues is a necessary but insufficient basis for constructing a theology of sex, masturbation, or any other topic.

__________________________________

Resources

Ad. Consider, A House Divided available from the publisher, Pickwick, and inexpensively as a Kindle ebook on Amazon. I refer to the scriptures on masturbation and many other sex related topics. I wrote the book to promote discussions about healthy sexuality and Christian morality.

If you are leading a book study group, there's an inexpensive discussion guide for A House Divided on AMAZON.


There’s also a free website with more information about sexuality and morality in Christian cultures. https://sites.google.com/site/dividedchristians/

Monique Moultrie writes about sex and Black women in Passionate and Pious: Religious Media and Black Women's Sexuality.

Book ad  Pickwick           Amazon  
















Some Related Research Studies

Gerressu et al. (2008): 36.8% of British women ages 16 to 44 reported masturbating in the 4 weeks before the interview.

Fortenberry et al. (2010): The studied prevalence of solo masturbation for females was 48%.

Bowman (2013): Data from a sample of American women who were mostly under age 30, white, and college educated reported reasons for masturbation, which the author grouped into 5 categories: (a) sexual pleasure, (b) to learn about or better understand their bodies, (c) as a release, (d) to substitute for partner sex, and (e) general sexual dissatisfaction.

Pedersen (2013) found that participants who were involved with Christianity as teens masturbated less than others did in this Norwegian study.

Relationships in American Study (2014): Most women (70%) reported masturbating at least once and 26% masturbated the week before the survey. By age 60, less than 20% reported that they masturbated. 

Burri & Carvalheira (2019): German women, average age 26.6 years, completed an online survey. Most (94.5%) masturbated at least once in their life. Most first masturbated at age 14 (85.9%). Data about percentages and frequency were: 26.8%, 2-3 times a week and 26.3% 1-2 times a week. Also, most reported masturbating when in a relationship (91.5%).



Cite this post

Sutton, G.W. (2023, October 1). Masturbation & Christian Women: Theology and sexuality. Retrieved from https://dividedchristians.blogspot.com/2016/12/theology-of-masturbation.html




Related posts







References

Bowman, C. P. (2014). Women’s masturbation: Experiences of sexual empowerment in a primarily sex-positive sample. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 38(3), 363–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684313514855

Coogan, M. (2010). God & Sex: What the Bible Really Says. New York: Hachette. AMAZON

Fischer, N., Graham, C.A., Træen, B. et al. Prevalence of Masturbation and Associated Factors Among Older Adults in Four European Countries. Arch Sex Behav 51, 1385–1396 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02071-z

Herbenick, D., Fu, T. C., Wasata, R., & Coleman, E. (2023). Masturbation Prevalence, Frequency, Reasons, and Associations with Partnered Sex in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a U.S. Nationally Representative Survey. Archives of sexual behavior52(3), 1317–1331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02505-2

Hornsby, T. J. (2007). Sex Texts From the Bible: Selections Annotated & Explained. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths.  ON AMAZON

Hyde, J. & DeLamater, J. (2020). Understanding human sexuality (14th Edition). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. On AMAZON

Knust, J. W. (2011). Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire. New York: Harper Collins.  AMAZON

Mosher, D. L., & Vonderheide, S. G. (1985). Contributions of sex guilt and masturbation guilt to women’s contraceptive attitudes and use. Journal of Sex Research, 21(1), 24–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224498509551242

Rowland, D., Donarski, A., Graves, V., Caldwell, C., Hevesi, B., & Hevesi, K. (2019). The experience of orgasmic pleasure during partnered and masturbatory sex in women with and without orgasmic difficulty. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 45(6), 550–561. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2019.1586021

Sutton, G. W. (2016). A house divided: Sexuality, morality, and Christian cultures. Eugene, OR: Pickwick. ISBN: 9781498224888

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This post updated 

June 2022 from previous post December 2016

Updated October 1, 2023.



Saturday, May 21, 2022

Progressive Christians Going To Hell- According to Decision Magazine

 


Christians are divided by sets of beliefs—that’s no surprise. I’ve been writing about these divisions in this blog, which grew out of the book, A House Divided.

This post is about Franklin Graham’s warning in the May 2022 stark Decision Magazine cover.

PROGRESSIVE

CHRISTIANITY

CAN LEAD

YOU TO

HELL

Decision Magazine stakes their claim, “The Evangelical Voice for Today.” It’s hard to find a more influential voice when you tally the followers on social media. Like it or not, and some don’t, Franklin Graham is the go to voice of evangelicals.

Graham’s followers 21 May 2022

  Facebook: 9,913,970

  Twitter: 2,485,942

  Instagram: 1.2 million

*****

What's seems to be the problem?

Franklin

Inside the magazine, Franklin Graham warns of “The Eternal Peril of Progressive Christianity.” In his aggressive style, he casts the division as a decades long “war” that’s “raging against Biblical Christianity.”

Referencing St Paul, Graham finds a quote from Galatians (1: 6-9) applicable to “the advocates of progressive Christianity.”

What’s in Graham’s mind?

Bible, Sex, Punishment, Theology.

Graham claims, “Progressive Christianity denies the divinely inspired, authoritative truth of the Bible as it intersects every facet of living.” What’s left unsaid is the meaning of “divinely inspired” and the notion of “authoritative truth.” Plenty of evangelical Christians cannot decide on the authoritative divinely inspired biblical truth about the role of women in the church or the home. Christians argue about what the Bible teaches concerning baptism, birth control, dancing, drinking alcohol, and military service. 

If biblical teaching were clear, there would be no need for so many different Christian groups or denominations. And for Graham's evangelicals, there would be one evangelical church.

   [See St Paul and Christians Divided About Women.]

Graham’s choice of an example reveals his passion about sex. For Franklin, gender identity is among the “nonsensical trends.” Next up is “gay marriage”—a example of “degrading cultural influences.” 

When it comes to sex and gender, Graham is clear.

Evangelicals born with male sex organs are men.

Evangelicals born with female sex organs are women.

Evangelical men only marry women.

If you claim to be a Christian and you do not accept this Graham-evangelical-doctrine, then you are progressive. And you are wrong.

It’s no surprise to see his concern about justice. Graham does not deny that the Bible includes social and racial justice but he believes Progressive Christians deny “God’s justice—how a holy and just God deals with sinful and wicked men.”

[See Jesus’ good news in the mission statement in Luke 4:18.]

Graham's focus on theology deals with beliefs about the trinity, Jesus, salvation, the atonement, and more. You will need to read his article to get the details, which Graham calls “orthodox, Biblical Christianity.” Perhaps ironically, he closes with advice to pastors quoting 2 Timothy 4:2-5 from the New King James Version. The letters of Timothy pop up a lot. Those letters make it clear that a woman's place is not in the pulpit.

*****

Alisa

Paradoxically, a woman, Alisa Childers, teaches readers “5 Ways to Counter Progressive Christianity.” I write paradoxically because many Christian groups prohibit women from many or all leadership roles in church and the family. And some take a verse literally to mean women should not teach men (1 Timothy 2:12). Here we have Alisa teaching readers about progressive Christianity. Perhaps it's ok if a Christian woman teaches men in what she writes?

Alisa attacks her perception of progressive views on biblical authority (#1), biblical sexuality and the sanctity of life (#2). She advises readers to adhere to biblical morality and mentions “a historical Biblical sexual ethic (#3 ).” There’s a reference to “truth” (#4) and the importance of proclaiming the gospel (#5). 

****

Al

R. Albert Mohler Jr. offers a moral history lesson in “The Subversion of Christian Morality.” Al Mohler offers a brief history of morality leading up to the “sexual revolution.” Here’s his view:

One by one, major churches and denominations joined the sexual revolution and reformulated their teachings on divorce, birth control, premarital sex, adultery and homosexuality. These churches had destroyed any objective foundation for believing there are any consensual sexual behaviors that are inherently wrong. They did not resist the sexual revolution, they joined it.

Al’s view is that the problem stems from progressive’s denial of biblical authority. Al does not speak for those evangelicals who believe in the equality of women and men. Here’s a quote from Al May 10, 2021.


"Simply put, the only way to affirm women serving in the pastoral role is to reject the authority and sufficiency of biblical texts such as 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2."

The twin connection between biblical authority and sex is a recurrent message. It's true. Christians disagree about matters related to gender and sexuality. And it's true that the Bible does not address all these issues. Humans, mostly men, use their reasoning abilities to make statements about some matters not in the Bible.

*****

Erwin

Erwin Lutzer asks, “Making the Narrow Door Wider?” The lead picture is a classic church building sporting a rainbow flag. Erwin refers to Jesus' lesson about the “narrow door” in Luke 13. And he refers to “the broad road that leads to destruction.”

Interestingly, he offers a subtle difference from the attacks of others. Notice his comment on “Biblical authority.”

Progressive Christians do not reject Biblical authority outright; rather they purport to walk a middle path with the Bible in one hand and cultural sensitivity in the other.

Erwin is aware that progressive Christians focus on God’s love. He agrees but there is a but… 

But when we replace God’s view of love with our own view of what we think love requires, it can lead us to justify sinful behavior.”

Now the argument becomes challenging in the next paragraph. We may wonder if God’s love is conditional. Following is the quote:

Jesus clarified the meaning of love: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). To love God is to obey His Word.

Some Comments

As I have written about in A House Divided, Christians hold different views about morality. The morality of particular concern to evangelicals is related to sex and gender. My point in A House Divided, is that Christians in many congregations hold different views about these topics. Evangelicals themselves are divided about abortion, birth control, divorce and remarriage, the equality of women and men in the church and the home, and so forth.

The disagreements about biblical authority are not entirely fair because evangelical Christians who disagree about such things as the equality of women and men do not deny biblical authority. They simply interpret the texts in different ways.

Although there are identifiable differences between Graham’s evangelicalism and the leading writers we may categorize as Progressive Christians, there are differences between groups of evangelicals. And to be fair, there are differences between groups of people who might identify with the progressive movement.

[See Progressive Christianity to learn more about general beliefs and examples of authors.]

 

Psychological Notes

The presentation in Decision Magazine is an example of Terror Management Theory. In the face of a threat, that is Progressive Christianity, people who feel threatened become more conservative. As one may expect, the specter of death, and particularly eternal death, looms large in the concerns presented by the authors of Decision Magazine.

One way to analyze the differences between conservative and progressive views of sex-linked moral topics is to draw upon the findings of Moral Foundations Theory as presented by Haidt in The Righteous Mind. This is the approach I took in A House Divided. See reviews by Ev Worthington and Rod Bassett.

Abortion is a flaming hot topic in the United States. The Faultline Hypothesis may be helpful in identifying nuances in the disagreements among Christians and others in their views on an acceptable abortion (See The Faultline Hypothesis and Abortion). By nuances, I refer to the common concerns of the life of the mother, rape, and incest along with differences in when a woman may legally or ethically terminate her pregnancy.

Fundamentalism is a term often used when describing some conservative views of religion like those presented by Franklin Graham. The model of Intratextual Fundamentalism is one way to understand the link between the Bible and how it may be interpreted to support conservative beliefs. Of course, as many have written, conservatives disagree about text-based guidance.

Readers may want to think about research on the “divide and conquer” strategies used by some leaders in contrast to the promotion of group unity (e.g., see Maner, 2014). Franklin Graham and his team highlight the divisions between evangelical and progressive Christians (for examples of Progressive Christian writers). Some progressive Christians highlight the difference between their view of Christianity and the views of evangelicals. However, Brian D. McLaren promoted Christian unity in his popular book, A Generous Orthodoxy.

Ads

A House Divided: Sexuality Morality and Christian Cultures

-about conservative and progressive views of matters related to sex and gender

AMAZON     Kindle Version

 


 








A Generous Orthodoxy

-toward Christian unity in core Christianity












The Righteous Mind


- a look at the psychosocial foundations of morality based on research











God Forgive Us for Being Women

-an evangelical woman's perspective












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Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Decision Magazine and Divided Christians 2020




Not long ago, the conservative evangelical magazine, Christianity Today (19 December 2019), received considerable press coverage for its call for the U.S. president to be removed from office on moral grounds. The January 2020 issue of Graham’s Decision magazine proclaims a decidedly different conservative political message, which notes the accomplishments of the Trump administration.

Decision magazine is the flagship publication of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). The association is celebrating 70 years (1950-2020) of “Proclaiming the Gospel.” Decision’s subtitle is The Evangelical Voice for Today.

The theme for the current issue is “America on the Brink: What’s at Stake in 2020.” The photo suggests America is dangerously close to falling off a cliff.

Franklin Graham kicks off the featured articles with “2020: A Nation on the Brink.” Two accomplishments of the current president are noted in the second and third paragraphs—appointment of conservative judges and protection of religious liberties. 

Other concerns of Graham include LGBTQ issues (“Will the ungodly sexual agenda of the LGBTQ lobby be forced down the throats of our schools and our children?”) and the decline of the percentage of Americans who identify as Christian.

Next, Jerry Pierce wrote “2020: A Year of Decision.” His list of items includes religious liberty related to concerns about the LGBTQ movement and abortion.

“In eight years under the previous administration, a rash of White House executive orders, directives and bureaucratic rules were used to press the hobnail boot of the LGBTQ movement and the abortion lobby against people with sincere Biblical convictions.”

Mat Staver’s article, “Living in a Parallel Universe” opens with the case of Sandra Merritt and Planned Parenthood.

I could to on, but I won’t. My point is simply that politics and religion are married for conservative Christian Republicans. 

As was evident in our research findings (JPT, 2019), a dual identity is present for American Christians who identify as evangelicals and Republicans. This Decision magazine issue illustrates the committed relationship of evangelicals to President Trump and the Republicans.

Instead of a separation of church and state, there is a separation between Republican Christians and non-Republican Christians when it comes to the laws that govern Americans. 

The salient sabres are support for life or death of the unborn and support or lack of support for the rights of sexual minorities. These are not surprising issues, which is why I included both of  them in A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures and why I pay attention to such topics.

There are other concerns in the magazine, but I was struck by the cover and the lead articles focusing on political decisions and those limited to the USA in contrast to possible articles about Christians living out their faith in other dimensions of life and in various parts of the world. 













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